Hurricane Irene: Advisory 24A

Hurricane Irene is currently a category 2 storm, but is expected to strengthen and become a category 3 storm again. Tropical storm conditions are expected for coastal South Carolina starting this morning through tomorrow morning. According to WCBD-TV News, Charleston county schools have been cancelled and Berkeley County schools are on a half-day schedule today. Wind gusts are expected to top at around 50 MPH with an estimated 1 - 2 inches of rain, however some areas could get 3 -4 inches of rain.

Meteorologist Rob Fowler tweeted that the first band from Irene was moving into downtown Charleston with winds of 50 MPH.

Continue to watch the news/weather channel for the latest information! Be safe!

Hurricane Irene: Advisory #22A

As of advisory #22A, Hurricane Irene is currently a category 3 hurricane with its eye located over the north of the Bahamas. Little change in strength and forecast since the last advisory.

The biggest news is that the coast of South Carolina is under a tropical storm watch from Edisto Beach to the SC/NC border. This means that tropical storm conditions are expected within 36 hours. According to the Channel 2 News web-site there are no evacuations planned for the SC coast. The conditions expected are high winds and heavy rains. Stay tuned to local channels on up-to-the minute weather alerts.

Hurricane Irene: Advisory 18

Irene shot from the International Space Center. Courtesy: NASA
The 18th advisory for hurricane Irene shows that the track has not changed much since advisory #16. She will be off the SC/NC coastlines around 8 AM Saturday. The track has moved a little to the west due to a deepening of a trough in the northeastern US.

Currently the emphasis for news is on the Bahamas as it is making landfall in the Bahamas as of right now. For Charleston, SC, I would recommend staying tune to Channel 2 News (WCBD). There appears to be a lesser threat to the area as Charleston County is now in OPCON 4 which means they are just monitoring the storm and have no plan of action as of now.

Hurricane Irene: Advisory 16A

Hurricane Irene is now a category 3! Charleston County emergency management went into OPCON 3 yesterday which puts part of the emergency team on alert. They are still at this status but are not planning any evacuations.

Little change to the track as Irene is expected to make landfall in the North Carolina outskirts. Shear is occurring to the storm but is not having a huge impact on the storm. It is about to go through an eye wall replacement which will help prevent the storm from strengthening.

Charleston, SC can expect tropical storm winds, even hurricane winds at times. Heavy rains will move onto the coast of SC and could affect all the way up to Columbia, SC. I would recommend staying away from local beaches as high surf will be occurring and possible storm surge.

Hurricane Irene: Advisory 14A

Hurricane Irene is currently a category 1 hurricane is still expected to become a category 3 hurricane as it approaches the east coast. It is expected to make landfall around 2 PM on Saturday on the outskirts of North Carolina as a major hurricane.....some say a category 4, I do not think it will be reach category 4. wind shear is beginning to be forecasted in the models and this will weaken the storm a little. Also the storm is heading over warm waters and this will help strengthen it. A little hard to tell how strong the storm will be. It seems that the forecast track is pretty set.

Those in South Carolina can expect heavy rain and wind. Haven't seen anything about a tornado threat yet. Possible storm surge as well as this storms moves past the SC coast.

Irene Hurricane Advisory #10

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) just issued their 10th advisory on hurricane Irene. The forecast track has moved a little more to the east and the storm is expected to make landfall now near Myrtle Beach, SC....it was forecasted to make landfall near Edisto Beach, SC. Irene has strengthened and is now a category 2 hurricane.

Here is the basic information on the hurricane:

LOCATION...19.7N 68.7W

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...100 MPH...160 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...WNW OR 295 DEGREES AT 10 MPH...17 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...981 MB...28.97 INCHES

A forecaster from the NHC has made an emphasis on focusing too much on the day 4 & day 5 forecast positions as the trend over the past years is that the forecast position has changed by 200 miles by the time that forecast verified. If you live on the South Carolina or North Carolina coast, continue to watch this storm. The next advisory will be out around 11 AM EDT.

Hurricane Season: Irene

Hurricane season is in full swing and it has been a pretty active season so far. We have had 9 named storms, you might have noticed only because they have not struck the US. However the current storm out there, Irene, is forecasted to hit Edisto Beach, SC on Saturday morning!

She is looking very impressive on satellite and is currently a category 1 hurricane. It is expected to be a category 3 hurricane when it makes landfall on Saturday. There are no physical hazards (mountains, land, etc.) in the path of the storm that would slow down and weaken her. There are no trofs or ridges forecasted to be moving through the area which would help move her more to the east.

The next forecast track should be out around 5 PM today. I will try to post as much as I can about Irene and keep those of you who read this from Charleston updated.

Some Assembly Required...

"And there came a day... a day unlike any other... when Earth's mightiest heroes found themselves united against a common threat... to fight the foes no single superhero could withstand... on that day, The Avengers were born." - Nick Fury (Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

May 4, 2012 can not get here soon enough! This is the day that I will be in the theater watching The Avengers movie! If you know me then you know that I am a huge super-hero fan and my favorite super-heroes will all be one movie and it is going to be AWESOME! Pictures and videos have been coming out of filming locations around the country and I have enjoyed every bit of it. Can't wait to see the story, the action, and the geekness in the film!

Assemble!

It's Been a While....

....since I updated my blog.....2 weeks to be exact!

The past two weeks have been pretty busy/crazy! It all started with Miranda's wedding and it has been non-stop since then. My sister graduated with a masters in education, I have been catching up with Charleston friends before I left and then I moved back to Mobile for one more semester. I then worked 37 hours this past week and have set up my position to be a teacher position and then moved into my room and unpacked. All while seeing a few friends here and there this past week.

Today has been my chill day. Finished unpacking and settling into my room and I am now ready for my last semester here at South to begin! It's going to a sad/emotional one.....

Until next time....

Travel

This weekend I will be traveling all over the Carolinas!

Tomorrow (Friday) I will be leaving to go to Miranda Hayes' wedding in Monroe, NC. I will stay there from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening as I am going to leave after the wedding reception to head to Columbia, SC for my sister's masters graduation ceremony. I will stay there on Saturday night and then head back to Charleston for the last week of my vacation.

Here is a little side note: today I looked at my calendar for the month of August and wrote down all the football games, work schedules, and BCM events....its going to be a very busy week.

busy, busy, busy!